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Halo Writer Lightly Teases Bungie's Next Project
Today at GDC Online in Austin, Texas, Bungie writer Joe Staten gave a keynote speech about "building worlds" in the Halo franchise. It was a pretty interesting panel and is worth reading about in full, but one tidbit stood out in particular: Staten dropped a small but possibly meaningful hint at Bungie's next game and their first attempt at something outside of the Halo franchise since beginning the series in 2001.
You can (and should) read about the full panel at Gamasutra, but here's the part you're really interested in. After mentioning how gamers only spent small amounts of time in the world of Halo, Staten said:
"Wouldn't it be great if we could make a world that was always there for you? Wow, that would be great."
According to the report, he posed the question in a joking manner and laughed while doing so, but it's hard not to be intrigued by the suggestion. Could Bungie be looking at doing an MMO or something more persistent than the one-shot online multiplayer matches of the Halo series? And is that what you want from Bungie?
Other interesting notes from the speech: Bungie has always considered "place" more important than "plot" in their games. Staten explained, "It would have been madness for us to write a script up front... and in fact, the scripts we tried to write got blown apart." Staten was quick to admit that "Halo isn't great for its story. Halo is great because it's fun to play."
Staten also revealed that Halo 2 originally had a different ending than the aggravating cliffhanger we all remember. "Halo 2 had one of the best final acts I've ever written...that nobody ever saw," he said. Check out the full write-up on Gamasutra for more details.
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